An Unlikely Romance
by mapledumpling
Summary: when a young woman gets lost in london, she finds help in the form of our favorite potions master. ---a load of fluff, but still fun!
1. Lost

A/N: Snape belongs to JKRowling, all other characters belong to myself.   
  
An Unlikely Romance---Chapter One:   
Lost  
  
Madison Freemont was lost. Not that she would admit it to anyone but to herself, but she was utterly, hopelessly, and completely lost. She had been following her friend, Alyssa Burns, through the jostling crowds of inner city London, but had, as usual, been distracted by something off to one side. When she had finally remembered to look back to Alyssa, she was gone.   
Panic crept in slowly while she still clung to the hope that perhaps Alyssa was merely a few feet in front of her, hidden by the crowds. The panic increased as her hope diminished with every passing step she took and still no sign of the blonde came to her. She silently cursed, eyes roving the faces of all who passed, trying to seek out someone friendly enough to ask for directions. If all else failed, she thought rationally, she would go back to the hotel and wait for Alyssa to come find her.   
A faultless plan, except that she suddenly couldn't remember the name of the glitzy hotel they were staying at. Or where in London it could be found.   
"Dammnit!" She swore loudly, drawing the attention of several passers-by. She smiled apologetically, hoping someone would be nice enough to ask her why she was cursing. No one did.   
She fought her way into a tiny shop with a hanging sign that read, "Bergman's Books" and hurried inside, marveling with relief at the whoosh of cool air that met her face, a nice change from the humid and smoldering heat outside.   
The shop was nearly deserted, save for a tall man behind a counter who gave her a quick nod and a smile as she walked in, and a few scattered patrons leafing through shelves of used books. For a moment, Madison forgot she was lost and let herself be caught up in the sweep of excitement that rushed through her body----books were her specialty. She had been a bibliophile since her father had read her "Green Eggs and Ham" nearly 23 years ago, and had amassed an enormous collection of books for herself since then. Even her profession---an editorial writer for a local newspaper back home in Maine, allowed her just one more link to the world of literature, despite the fact that she mostly wrote her editorials on local headliners, like the Girl Scouts who had held a bake sale and raised $1500 dollars for the homeless. Her dream was to become a freelance writer of children's books, but, as her bills and her low salary continually reminded her, it was a very far away dream that she might never attain.   
"Can I 'elp you, mum?"   
A friendly voice brought her out of her dreamy reverie, and Madison turned to see a lovely little girl, face upturned, waiting for an answer.   
"Oh, hello." She replied brightly. "Um, actually, I was hoping that maybe you might have some maps? Or someone who knows London well? I'm a bit lost."   
"Maps? We've got maps!" the little girl took Madison's hand and tugged her towards the back of the store, to a section with the label "Geography and Maps".   
"Oh, thank you." Madison forced a smile at the girl's eagerness to please, looking back over her shoulder to try to draw the attention of the shop-keeper. "I suppose I'll just have a quick look around, thanks."   
The girl smiled, whirling on her heel, pigtails flying behind her as she took off to the front of the store where she resumed a tea-party that had been deserted upon Madison's arrival.   
Despite her situation, Madison smiled at the scene before her, and, vowing not to disappoint the girl, turned to see what sort of maps the store had. Ancient World Maps, Western Civilization, Eastern Civilization, maps with the tracks of great explorers in red, maps for time zones, and maps of medieval London. Nothing recent.   
She signed, half-heartedly picking up the Medieval London map and unfolding it. "I don't suppose there were in hotels back then, were there?" She muttered quietly.   
"Excuse me?"   
Her eyes were drawn to the right to a man she hadn't noticed before. He was tall---an imposing, formidable man with sharp black eyes and hair that hung lank and limply around his face. He was dressed in dark grey slacks and a black sweater, despite the heat outside, and was holding a copy of Ancient Ruins in his hands.   
"Oh, I'm sorry---I was talking to myself." She offered him a smile. "I was saying, 'I don't suppose there were any hotels back then'. See, I'm lost, and I was trying to see if I could perhaps remember landmarks around where I'm staying, and remember what hotel I'm supposed to be at."   
The man, unamused by her story, raised an eyebrow archly before turning back to his book. "You don't remember the name of your hotel?"   
"No, I don't. Terrible, isn't it? My first time in London, I came with a friend, see, but I lost her in the crowds outside, and so I figured, why not go back to the hotel and wait for her, but then I realized I don't know what hotel I'm staying at, so I figured, why not come and find a map, or maybe ask someone to help me find it again? But the little girl misunderstood me, I suppose, since she led me back here, but there aren't any recent maps of London to be found."  
The man gave her a disgusted look. "Do you always chatter so endlessly to people you don't know?"   
Madison, slightly wounded by his words, shook her head. "I'm sorry, sir... I'm just lost, that's all. And worried."   
He sighed, turning a page idly. "Do you remember any landmarks?"   
"What?"   
"Around your hotel," He repeated, teeth clenched together impatiently. "How do you reckon you'll find the hotel if you don't know where to look!?"   
"Oh---well..." she thought hard. "There was a park out in front----a big park."   
"Very helpful."   
"And a big river---I think it's that river Thames... " she pronounced it rhyming with "James", "... and a lot of people selling things out of wooden carts all up and down the road."   
"What did the hotel look like?" the man turned another page.   
"It was big. And white. White with red bricks around all the doors and windows."   
"Hotel Clarten." He told her, closing his book and reshelving it. "Go out to the main street, down three blocks, make a left, follow it for 5 more blocks, and you'll see it on your right."   
"Are you serious?"   
He gave her a nasty look. "No, I'm trying to lose you again so that you'll come back inside and bother me with your babble once more!"   
She half-smiled, not sure if he was joking or not. "Well, thank you, Mr...."   
"You're welcome." It sounded forced, like a phrase he wasn't used to uttering.   
"You didn't tell me your name." She prompted.   
"What in blazes do you need my name for!?"   
"So I know the name of my guardian angel," she smiled.   
The man looked ready to puke. "Oh for God's sake...." He muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "If I tell you, will you leave!?"   
"Sounds fair."   
"It's-" he stopped, his eyes fixed on her face. She waited patiently.   
"Yes?" she prodded.   
"It's Potter." He told her, upper lip curling into a sneer. "Harry Potter."  
"Very well, then, Harry Potter---thank you." She nodded at him politely.   
"Haven't you ever heard of me?" he asked.   
"Um... no? Should I have?" she looked confused.   
"I'm quite famous where I come from."   
"Really! Where's that!? Are you a movie star?"   
"Nevermind, you blasted muggle." He sighed and pulled out another book, ending their conversation.   
"Yes, well, Mr. Potter, I owe you a debt of gratitude." She touched him lightly on the shoulder. "I will repay you someday."   
"I can only hope." Was the sarcastic reply. Madison gave his profile another bright smile before tucking the map back into its white plastic holder and turned on her heel to go. She was walking past the Children's Section and had to pause, unable to walk past without a quick look. Her weakness, of course-having to buy a book almost every time she walked into a book store. She leafed through titles, feeling the man's eyes on her, no doubt willing her to walk away and leave him to his peaceful perusal of his titles. Madison, in both an attempt to alleviate his annoyance, as well as to expedite her trek back to the Hotel, picked the first good title she came across and took it to the clerk's register. She engaged in a friendly conversation of sorts with the shopkeeper, shooting one last look over his shoulder to see Harry, murking in the shadows, watching her. When he noticed her eyes on his, he turned his back quickly, shoulders hunched as he became suddenly very engrossed in his book.   
"Thank you again," Madison told the store clerk, giving the little girl a quick pat on the head before she left Bergman's Books, and the strange man in black, behind. 


	2. The Gift

            A/n: Snape belongs to JKRowling

Chapter Two: A Gift

His directions were accurate and she was back at her hotel in twenty minutes. Alyssa was already waiting, pacing the dazzling foyer with her hands wringing together in worry. From the looks of the attendants standing nearby, she'd been at it for some time. In fact, she had just lifted her head to ask one of them a question when she saw Madison. 

            "MADISON! You're here!" she squealed, dropping her frown and running to her friend enthusiastically. 

            "Hey, Lyss," Madison answered tightly, the air being squeezed out of her by Alyssa's steely hug. 

            "What happened to you!? You were right behind me, then POOF! You were gone!" 

            Madison began to explain her plight to Alyssa as the two women walked upstairs to their room, lingering on the dark man who had given her directions. 

            "Was he English?" Alyssa asked curiously, unlocking the door to their suite. 

            "Yes, very much so." Madison threw her bag on her bed and flopped down backwards. "And he had the most piercing black eyes…" 

            "Did you get his name?" her questions were muffled as she fought with the refrigerator in the corner, attempting to get a soda.  

            "Huh? Oh, yes…" Madison rolled over so that her face was turned to the window and the balcony. "He said it was Potter. Harry Potter." 

            "Harry Potter?" Alyssa's head popped up from behind the fridge door, eyes wide. "Did you say Harry Potter?" 

            "Yes---have you heard of him?" 

            "It does sound vaguely familiar… Where is he from?" she avoided Madison's eyes. 

            "I don't know." She shrugged. "He did say he was quite famous where he came from, if that's any help at all." 

            "Not much," Alyssa admitted, taking a seat and tossing Madison a Coke. 

            "I should like to find him again," Madison said, eyes focused on the horizon. "Just to say thank you again. Take him to dinner, or something." 

            "You fancy him, don't you?" Alyssa grinned, poking at her friend with her toes. 

            "NO!" was the defensive reply. "I just feel as if I owe him something in return---a payback, y'know? For helping me out?" 

            "Oh, come on, Madison! You'll never find him around here again---London is just too large a place! And all he did was give you directions. It's not like he gave you one of his kidneys." 

            "Perhaps you're right." She sighed, turning onto her back and staring up at the ceiling. "As usual." 

            "Of course I'm right!" Alyssa agreed. "Just forget about Harry Potter… For all you know, he was just a heat-induced figment of your imagination." 

            Madison murmured some form of agreement, but knew inside she'd never forgot those blazing eyes and the deep voice that had helped her. 

            She was in the hotel lobby later that night, picking up her mail, when she felt all the hairs on the back of her neck rise and prickle. Looking over her shoulder at the bustling lobby, she tried desperately to find the source of her sudden discomfort. It came to her at the corner of the square room, next to the elevator, arms crossed over his chest, hair falling into his eyes: Harry. 

            A grin breaking out over her face, Madison walked over to him quickly, forgetting her mail on the counter. "Harry!" 

            "Hello." 

            She blinked, not knowing what to say. "What are you doing here?" she finally asked. 

            He didn't answer, simply stared at her, unblinking. 

            "Alright, sounds like a good reason…" she laughed nervously. 

            "I brought you something," he said suddenly, arms unfolding as he held out a rectangular shaped parcel, tired with twine. 

            "What is it?" she asked, eyebrow furrowed as she took the package. 

            "It's a gift." 

            "But what for? I've done nothing to deserve a gift from you… In fact, I should be giving you something---" She dug around in her pockets, looking for anything worthy enough to be given. All she pulled out was some pocket fuzz, a hair tie, a piece of gum, and half of a subway ticket. She made a face, picking out the stick of gum and offering it to him. "I don't suppose you'd like a piece of gum?" 

            His stoic look wobbled for an instant before, without warning, a smile erupted over his face. "No, no, thank you." He managed. 

            Madison's own smile grew bigger in response to the sudden warmth that had spread over his face. "You're laughing at me." She accused. 

            "Not at all." He covered his mouth and coughed, hiding his smile. 

            She raised an eyebrow, stuffing her treasures back into her pocket. 

            "I must be going." He said finally, composing himself. 

            "Already?" she didn't bother to hide her disappointment. "I was hoping you might join me for dinner?" 

            "I apologize, but I already have prior arrangements." 

            "Oh." A thousand reasons for these 'prior arrangements' flooded through her mind, sending a spark of jealousy through her. She pushed it away easily enough, and managed to force a smile across her face. "Well, then… Thank you, for the, eh," she held up the brown package, "and, uh, again, for helping me out this afternoon." 

            "You're welcome." The second time around, it seemed to be easier for him to say it. He gave her a stiff nod. "Good evening." 

            "Good bye," she whispered, watching him push through the glass doors and turn down the sidewalk, holding her parcel close to her chest. It took several minutes before she remembered it and, after reclaiming her forgotten mail, she hurried upstairs to her room to open it and find out what it was. 

            "A book!? How exciting," Alyssa rolled her eyes, looking at the unwrapped package on Madison's bed. 

            "This is the one he was reading earlier," Madison tried to explain, but it was useless; Alyssa was a nurse, and had no interest in the kind of literature Madison loved so dearly. 

            "_Ancient Ruins_? And you tell me he's an exciting person?" 

            Madison shook her head at Alyssa's back and opened the book, scanning for an author. "Millicent Magweed," she read softly, before her eyes noticed a scrawled message in the corner of the cover. Leaning closer, she was able to make out the cryptic message, "So that you never lose your way." 

            "What?" 

            "Nothing," Madison glanced up at Alyssa. "Just reading to myself." 

            "Oh come on, Mad!" She yanked the book from her hands and tossed it aside, pulling her friend to her feet. "It's out last night in London! Let's go party!" 

            "I'm too tired to party," Madison complained, reaching for her book. 

            "Look at yourself!" Alyssa flomped down to the bed and grabbed Madison's hands in hers, eyes beseeching. "You're fawning over a man you'll never see again! Forget about stupid Harry and come and have some fun!" 

            "Go ahead, without me," Madison stoutly replied. "I'm not in the mood."  
            "Gawd, you're so aggravating sometimes!" She balled her hands into fists. "This time tomorrow we'll be back in the States, you writing your silly column, me taking blood from screaming little kids…. Live a little, Maddie! Come on!" 

            Sighing, Madison reluctantly let herself be dragged out of the room towards a night of, no doubt, boredom and too much drinking. She wasn't the party animal at all----that was all Alyssa. She would have been far happier looking through her new book than anything, but, as Alyssa had said, this was their last night in London---might as well make the most of it. And besides, she reasoned, the book would still be there tomorrow morning, and all the way home on their 11 hour flight.

      It could wait. 


End file.
